Even as I write this, the vigil is going on, people from all walks of life, all religions, all politics are gathering together to say enough is enough. I'm not a person who watches a whole lot of TV, but when I flicked on my little flatscreen next to my desk this evening, I was interested to find that the programming on the Biography channel tonight is almost exclusively about racism and bigotry in the United States. The show that went off an hour ago was about how teens are brainwashed into joining the skinheads, the one I'm watching now is about the history of the KKK. Listening to the hate mongering is sickening, but at the same time somewhat revealing; it's amazing how many of the sentiments I had hoped were gone for good have been quoted at me lately.
Probably the most interesting, and perhaps most galling, thing I have been accused of is being un-American. Several times over that accusation has been flung at me, in any form from not standing firm enough behind the armed forces, to the more pointed directions to go back to where I came from. To both of these I am trying to decide whether to grit my teeth and growl at the hate, or smile at how ridiculous it is. Go back to where I came from? Alright, so should I go back to the military base in southern California where I was born? Wait... did I just say military base? That's right, not only was I born in America to Americans, I was born on a military base, the biological daughter of a Marine (let's add to the fact that both my biological parents had just-off-the-rez Native American grandparents, and... yeah, there's really no where for me to go). Not only was my birth father a Marine, but my adopted father was a Korean veteran, only sent home when his brother was killed there. In fact, should I like to visit what is left of my dad, I have to go to Middle Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery. His father, my grandfather, fought in World War I, even though it meant he had to fudge his age and change his name because he was too young. There hasn't been a generation of my family that hasn't fought for America in the century both immigrant portions have been here, and those that didn't fight built planes, sent care packages, and dealt with the shortages caused by war. The only time I've ever seen one of my cousins was when his submarine docked in San Diego and he had leave to eat dinner at our house. When I was younger, before I ruined my knee and became so sick that life became almost unbearable, I wanted nothing more than to join the Air Force just like my Papa. So don't say I'm un-American; if being American is determined by how much you love the armed forces, there are few who are more American than me.
People may say I'm un-American, but in my opinion there is nothing more un-American than trying to subvert the Constitution, to change laws that should not be changed just because they don't like how a person looks, or who they love, or in what way they worship. We are America, all of us, be we white, black, brown, red, yellow, striped, polka-dot or paisley. We are America, be we straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, or what have you. We are America, no matter we worship Jehovah, G-d, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Kerridwen, Danu, Aakuluujjusi, the Holy Crow, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or no one at all. We are America, the many colors, the many flavors, sounds, scents and feelings. We are America.
This land is your land, this land is my land, this land is our land.
This land was made for you and me.
In memory of my dad, James E. Butts Sr., USAF
1 April 1932 - 9 March 2010
“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” - George Washington
“Where liberty is, there is my country.” - Benjamin Franklin
Thank you Hussam. I couldn't agree more about the bigots. It just bothers the heck out of me when people say that about me.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the blog will be updated tomorrow, I've just either been sick or extremely busy over the last few days, and I'm hoping that I can get some more work on it before I leave for a family member's wedding later this month.